Atomic Rooster is the sixth studio album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. It was recorded when the band regrouped after breaking up for five years, and they embarked on a raw style which was in marked contrast to that of their past few albums...

Tracklist:
1. They Took Control Of You
2. She's My Woman
3. He Did It Again
4. Where's The Show?
5. In The Shadows
6. Do You Know Who's Looking For You?
7. Don't Close Your Mind
8. Watch Out!
9. I Can't Stand It

If was Great Britain's contribution to the jazz-rock movement begun and popularized in the late '60s/early '70s by Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago. Formed in 1969 by Melody Maker jazz poll winners Dave Quincy, Dick Morrissey, and Terry Smith, the band never found popular success in the United States. However, If produced several albums noteworthy for placing jazz players in a pop/rock band context and producing a true fusion of the two genres without diluting the players' improvisational skills. Unlike most of their horn-band contemporaries, If had no brass players in the band, relying solely on the saxophones of Dick Morrissey and the flute and saxophones of Dave Quincy. But what really gave If its unique sound were the vocals of J.W. Hodgkinson and the guitar of Terry Smith. Hodgkinson's vocal timbre was unusual -- smooth, flexible, and strong in the high end, sounding like no other vocalist. Smith's trebly guitar sound was also unique, combining a rocker's use of sustain with the jazz fluency of Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt. The original incarnation of If produced five excellent albums between 1970 and 1972, but these albums failed to find an audience. Morrissey soldiered on with the If name for two more albums with a totally different lineup and a more generic rock-type sound, but these, too, went nowhere. Drummer Dennis Elliott was later a member of the platinum-selling rock band Foreigner.

Dec 24, 2010

Pub rock, the English roots rock movement of the early '70s, would never have earned a cult following if it wasn't for Brinsley Schwarz. Initially, Brinsley Schwarz was a rambling, neo-psychedelic folk-rock band that borrowed heavily from Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Grateful Dead. Following a disastrous publicity stunt to promote its debut album, the band went into seclusion outside of London and developed a laid-back, rootsy sound inspired by Eggs Over Easy, an American band that had been playing a mixture of originals and covers in English pubs...

Ace were a British rock music band, who enjoyed moderate success in the 1970s. They are notable for their part in the early career of Paul Carrack, who later became famous as a solo artist, and as a member of several other groups. Ace are best known for their 1974 transatlantic Top 20 hit single, "How Long?"

Dec 21, 2010

Cry Of Love was an American rock band formed in 1991 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The group released their debut album in 1993 (Brother), produced by John Custer before playing the Monsters of Rock festival the following year. They scored a number-one hit on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart with "Peace Pipe" in 1993. After this show, their frontman, Kelly Holland left the group.
Robert Mason was recruited as Holland's replacement some three years later. Together they recorded a new album in 1997 (Diamonds & Debris), but the band split shortly afterwards.
Former band member Audley Freed was recruited to the Black Crowes in 1998, and he played with the band until October of 2001. He also played on Crowes' lead singer Chris Robinson's second solo album in 2004, and on the subsequent tour.

Formed in 2006, Damage Control were put together by three veterans of the UK Hard Rock scene, namely vocalist / guitarist Robin George (solo artist, Phil Lynott, David Byron, Magnum), bassist Pete Way (UFO, Waysted) and drummer Chris Slade (Asia, AC/DC, Uriah Heep). Raw marked the trio's debut album and now receives a re-release via specialist label Angel Air, whose catalogue boasts a treasure trove of long forgotten gems. The songs here are slick and melodic with their roots heavily in the blues rock scene of the 70's where all three first plied their trade. George delivers some polished solos and riffs and his earthy vocal delivery perfectly suits the vibe with Way and Slade laying down a solid groove and they strike a good balance between up-tempo rockers, ballads and moody blues tunes of which "One Step Closer" provides a real highlight.

Tracklist:
1. My Messiah
2. Long Way From Home
3. Paying Dues
4. Peace Sign
5. Best Of Times
6. We’re All Famous
7. You Got Me
8. Your Entertainer
9. Catch Up To Me
10. Lie To Me
11. Larger Than Life
12. Holding On

Review by Richie Unterberger:
Warhorse's second album was basically more of the same prog rock-proto metal. Sometimes it sounded a little more mainstream rock, as on "Confident But Wrong" or the cover of the old soul ballad "I (Who Have Nothing)." Ashley Holt was tending to hit more annoying high notes, though; the warbles on "Back in Time," for instance, were unconscious models for the kind of singing so ably parodied by Spinal Tap. The CD reissue on Angel Air has six previously unreleased bonus tracks, including a live version of "Ritual" (a song from the first Warhorse album) and five demos of Nick Simper compositions that do not appear on the two Warhorse LPs.

Biography by Richie Unterberger:
Formed in 1970 around ex-Deep Purple bassist Nick Simper, Warhorse were understandably close to early Deep Purple in their blend of keyboard-colored progressive rock and early heavy metal. The group coalesced when Simper left Deep Purple in 1969 to lead soul singer Marsha Hunt's backing band, which included Rick Wakeman on keyboards for a while. The backing band formed the nucleus of Warhorse, which recorded a couple of albums for Vertigo in the early 1970s. With their early hard rock/metal sounds and a singer (Ashley Holt) who could roll into over-serious, high stentorian vocal phrases, the group have also been compared to early Black Sabbath, although they lacked the hooks necessary to achieve the same level of success as Sabbath or Purple. Echoes of Yes (in the keyboards) and perhaps Uriah Heep can be heard as well. Warhorse broke up in 1973, with drummer Mac Poole joining Gong, and Holt and drummer Barney James (who briefly replaced Poole in Warhorse's final days) going to Rick Wakeman's band.

Dec 18, 2010

Return to the Dark Side of the Moon is a tribute album organised by Billy Sherwood, and released in 2006 on Purple Pyramid. It is a re-creation of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and a sequel to Sherwood's Back Against the Wall, itself a re-creation of Pink Floyd's The Wall. Return to the Dark Side of the Moon, in addition includes an original piece composed by Sherwood in the style of the original album.

Tracklist:
1. Speak To Me / Breath
2. On The Run
3. Time
4. The Great Gig In The Sky
5. Money
6. Us And Them
7. Any Colour You Like
8. Brain Damage
9. EclipseExlusive bonus original track:
10. Where We Belong

Marmalade were a successful Scottish pop rock group, from the east end of Glasgow, originally formed in 1961 as "The Gaylords", later "Dean Ford and The Gaylords". In 1966, they changed the group name to 'The Marmalade'. The most successful period for the band, in terms of record success, was between 1968 and 1972. A later version of the band (from 1975 with various further personnel changes) exists to this day, although with the departure of Graham Knight, ( reported on the bands "official" website) in September 2010, there are now no original members remaning in the band...

Manic Eden were a short-lived hard rock band featuring former Whitesnake members Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. At first, the band featured singer James Christian of House of Lords, but he was already fired shortly after the founding of Manic Eden and replaced by former Little Caesar singer Ron Young. The band released one self-titled album on March 24, 1994...

Dec 16, 2010

Heavy Rock Progressive (and sometimes Acoustic) sounds of Duffy are featured on this very desirable album, and the group have become quite a firm favourite amongst rock and blues audiences. This recording was their very first album, and Chapter One are proud to represent this very fine group of musicians...

Dec 15, 2010

As a solo artist Jimmy Barnes has scored seven number one records in Australia, putting him up in the same league as the Beatles, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, and Rod Stewart. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, his family emigrated to Adelaide in 1956 when Barnes was four. It was his older brother John's interest in music that inspired Jim to follow suit, eventually leading to him becoming lead singer of Cold Chisel, who emerged as Australia's most popular band of the '80s. While their rock/soul/blues fusion music was part of the band's appeal, a large part was also the stage presence of its raw-voiced singer, crouched with intensity as he sang/shouted into the microphone with every breath in his lungs. After 12 years, Cold Chisel gave their final performance in December 1983 and Barnes launched an immediate solo career, eclipsing Cold Chisel's record sales with six solo number one albums in a row...

Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his group exploded on the scene in the mid-'90s and garnered huge amounts of radio airplay on commercial radio, which historically has not been a solid home for blues and blues-rock music, with the exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the mid-'80s. Shepherd was born June 12, 1977, in Shreveport, LA. The Shreveport native began playing at age seven, figuring out Muddy Waters licks from his father's record collection (he has never taken a formal lesson). At age 13, he was invited on-stage by New Orleans bluesman Brian Lee and held his own for several hours; thus proving himself, he decided on music as a career...Read more

Tracklist:
1. In 2 Deep
2. Was
3. Them Changes
4. Last Goodbye
5. Shotgun Blues
6. Never Mind
7. You Should Know Better
8. Every Time It Rains
9. Oh Well
10. Wild Love
11. Losing Kind
12. Live On
13. Where Was I?
14. Electric Lullaby